Town Council Supports Sector Plan Changes

The Kensington Town Council voted 4-0 on Monday to support zoning amendments for the town's proposed sector plan, one of the few unanimous decisions in the often heated debate over how to redevelop Kensington.

The council voted to support a list of zoning changes, proposed by County Council staff, that would limit building heights and densities in areas near neighborhoods. 

The debate over the sector plan, now in its third year,  between its members, who  and distorting facts.

Monday's unanimous vote was a rare sign of unity on the council, and it drew applause from the more than 40 people at the meeting.

The initial resolution included language asking the county not to further reduce heights and densities, but Councilmember Lydia Sullivan said she couldn't support such a request.

"I do support further reductions," Sullivan said. "The (commercial-residential) zones in the plan allow for higher densities in Kensington than even in Twinbrook."

Instead, the council removed that clause to secure the 4-0 vote on supporting the proposed zoning amendments. The council then drafted a separate resolution asking the County Council not to reduce the scale of the plan, passing that 3-1.

Councilmember Mackie Barch said the plan's scale cannot go any lower without making it impossible for developers to get a return on their investments.

"If we continue any further height and density reductions, I'm afraid the plan just won't make economic sense," he said.

Next, the proposed zoning changes will go before the County Council's Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee, which meets Feb. 6. Once the PHED Committee is satisfied with the plan, it will go before the full council for a final vote.